CMU running a balanced attack

Jared Delello is one of five Tartan running backs
averaging between 33 and 58 yards rushing per
game.
Photo for Carnegie Mellon by Martin Santek Photography

It is one thing to have a pair of running backs that can share
carries and work together to become an effective tandem, but it is
a whole different story for Carnegie Mellon.

Veteran coach Rich Lackner does not have just one or two running
backs he can depend on. He has five players who have gotten a
substantial amount of work out of the backfield.

Jake Nardone, Justin Pratt, Jared Delello, Chris Garcia and
Patrick Blanks have rushed for a combined 1,341 yards and 20
touchdowns on 242 carries for the Tartans, who are 4-2 and have a
three-game winning streak after a 35-23 win at Ohio Wesleyan two
weeks ago.

“We feel that all five all of those guys have earned, and
I do mean earned and were not given, that opportunity to be on the
field and to give us some good yards and downs out there,”
Lackner said. “A lot of teams today are four- and five-wide.
Some teams have one running back in the backfield, some have two,
but that’s not common anymore.

“I’m a big believer in rewarding individuals who
have proven that they’ve earned an opportunity to go out
there and produce and play,” he added. “We do that
across the board.”

When it comes to getting their carries, Lackner is not
naïve to think his players would not take more attempts if
given the opportunity. However, he does not tolerate jealousy.

“Deep down, I think they’re all happy for each other
and I hope they would be,” he said. “We preach that
this is very much a team game and unselfishness is not an option.
You’re either unselfish or you can hit the
highway.”

Nardone leads the way with 345 yards on 50 carries, while Pratt
has gained 336 yards and scored seven touchdowns this season.
Delello has 243 yards rushing and three touchdowns, with Blanks
scoring four times while gaining 200 yards on 28 carries.

Garcia has proven to be the biggest dual threat out of Carnegie
Mellon’s backfield.

He has 217 yards and one touchdown on 55 carries to go along
with seven catches for 116 yards. He averages a team-leading 29.0
yards-per-game receiving and has hauled in three touchdowns this
season.

“Each one’s a little bit different,” Lackner
said. “In our offensive scheme, we ask the backs to be good
blockers, to be good runners and also be able to catch the
football. I think Chris Garcia, his forte is probably running the
football and also being a receiver. He catches the ball very well
and runs great patterns.

“The fullback position is not as much of a receiver, but
Pratt and Delello, the two fullbacks that we’ve used,
they’re both very capable runners and very fine blockers as
well,” he continued. “If you look at Nardone,
he’s very shifty. He’s a little guy, probably 5-foot-8,
5-7 maybe. He’s at a distinct disadvantage in terms of
blocking with his size, but he’s a smart blocker and also a
fine receiver. They all bring something to the table and we ask a
lot of them. Running and catching, God gave you some of those
skills. Some of them, you can develop and make the better. Blocking
is something that can be learned.”
With all those weapons and their brand of the Wing-T offense, the
Tartan coaching staff is aware of what affect they may have on
defensive coordinators. As a team, the Tartans are out-rushing the
opposition by more than 100 yards per game.

“I think it presents a challenge to teams trying to
prepare for us,” Lackner said. “Their defenses
typically don’t see what we do on a consistent basis week-in
and week-out. I think a lot of it, the timing and the motions that
we do, misdirection plays and the steps that we require, it really
is almost like a ballet.

“If you don’t have a good sense of it and you
haven’t studied it carefully, it’s very hard to get
that scout team to give you a good look,” he added.
“With only a week, really five days, to prepare, it’s a
little difficult for some teams to prepare for.”

The Tartans’ five-headed monster at running back will get
their most difficult test to date on Saturday afternoon when they
host the Wittenberg Tigers. The seventh-ranked Tigers come into the
game at 7-0 and allow just 59 rushing yards-per-game. They have
surrendered only four rushing touchdowns this season.

After Wittenberg, Carnegie Mellon begins University Athletic
Association play at Washington U. Then, they host Chicago before
ending the year with the annual Academic Bowl at Case Western
Reserve.

“It’s as tough a four-game stretch as we’ve
probably ever had,” Lackner said. “We’re talking
about two teams that are undefeated (Wittenberg and Case). In the
UAA, Chicago and WashU were picked ahead of us. We’ve got
four tough games ahead of us, but I believe in our guys and
Carnegie Mellon attracts very competitive individuals.

“These young men are competitive in every aspect of their
lives and I think they’re going to give us a fantastic effort
the next four weeks and we’ll just take it one game at a
time,” he concluded. “Wittenberg is a challenge.
They’ve got great coaching. They’re playing well as a
team and Joe Fincham does a great job over there, but you still
have to line up to play the game. When the whistle blows at one
o’clock Saturday afternoon, the Carnegie Mellon football team
will be ready to play.”

News and Notes
Albion sophomore running back Clinton Orr was the Britons’
lynchpin in their 27-14 win against Hope last weekend. Orr gained
212 yards and one touchdown on 35 carries and added two catches for
58 yards with another score. All told, Orr gained 276 all-purpose
yards and earned Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
offensive player of the week honors for the second time in
2010.

Wittenberg coach Joe Fincham broke the school’s all-time
wins record earlier this season and the Tigers have shown no signs
of slowing down since. In their 52-0 win over the Kenyon Lords last
weekend, the Tigers gained 655 yards of total offense, led by
quarterback Ben Zoeller’s two-touchdown, 356-yard
performance.

In Bethany’s 41-7 win against Thiel, freshman quarterback
Matt Grimard accounted for 157 yards on 10-of-12 passing and gained
another 60 on 15 carries. He threw for one touchdown and scored
another two on the ground. Grimard connected with receiver C.J.
Thomas seven times for 118 yards in the victory.

Ryan Flemming, a senior wide receiver for Ohio Northern, gained
201 yards and scored two touchdowns on four catches in a 41-21
victory against Baldwin-Wallace. He caught 54 and 49-yard
touchdowns in leading the No. 11 Polar Bears to a win.

Great LakesRegion Teams in
D3football.com’s Top 25 Poll This Week:
No. 2 Mount Union (OAC): No change following a 45-7 win over
Heidelberg
No. 7 Wittenberg (NCAC): Up one spot after a 52-0 victory against
Kenyon
No. 10 Thomas More (PAC): Up one spot following a 24-6 win over St.
Vincent
No. 11 Ohio Northern (OAC): Up two spots after a 41-21 victory over
Baldwin-Wallace
No. 15 Trine (MIAA): No change following a 38-0 win over Alma
No. 25 Wabash (NCAC): Into Top 25 with a 42-21 victory over
Oberlin

Games of the Week
Wittenberg(7-0) at Carnegie Mellon (4-2),
Saturday, 1 p.m.: Wittenberg will get a tough test in kts
final game before returning home Nov. 6 for what amounts to a North
Coast Athletic Conference championship game with Wabash. With
Carnegie Mellon’s ability to run the football, it will be
difficult task for Wittenberg to keep the Tartans off the field and
scoreboard.

Trine (6-0, 3-0 MIAA) at Hope (2-5, 2-1), Saturday, 2
p.m.: The last two schools to win outright Michigan
Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships could decide who
brings the hardware home on Saturday. Trine is in the
driver’s seat, having not lost a game this season, but an
upset by Hope would potentially give four MIAA teams one loss in
conference play.

If Hope were to win, Albion and Kalamazoo would join the Flying
Dutchmen in the conference race and bid for an NCAA
Tournament invitation.